Shloka 13

धृतराष्ट्रस्य स्पर्शाभिलाषः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Touch and Permission for Tapas

Devanagari script

हृष्टपुष्टबलो गच्छेद्‌ राजा वृद्धयुदये रत: । अकृशश्वाप्यथो यायादनृतावपि पाण्डव,पाण्डुनन्दन! अपने अभ्युदयके लिये तत्पर रहनेवाला राजा यदि दुर्बल न हो और उसकी सेना हृष्ट-पुष्ट हो तो वह युद्धके अनुकूल मौसम न होनेपर भी शत्रुपर चढ़ाई करे

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | hṛṣṭapuṣṭabalo gacched rājā vṛddhyudaye rataḥ | akṛśaś cāpy atho yāyād anṛtāv api pāṇḍava pāṇḍunandana |

Translation

ধৃতরাষ্ট্র বললেন—হে পাণ্ডব, পাণ্ডুনন্দন! যে রাজা নিজের উন্নতি ও সমৃদ্ধিতে নিবিষ্ট, যার সেনা হৃষ্ট-পুষ্ট ও বলবান, এবং যে নিজে দুর্বল নয়—সে যুদ্ধের অনুকূল ঋতু না হলেও শত্রুর ওপর অভিযান করতে পারে।

Word by Word

हृष्टपुष्टबलःhaving a delighted and well-nourished army/strength

गच्छेत्should go / should march

राजाthe king

वृद्धयुदयेin (his) prosperity and rise

रतःengaged in / devoted to

अकृशःnot weak / not emaciated

श्वाa dog

अपिeven / also

अथthen / moreover

यायात्should go / should set out

अनृतौin an unseasonable time

अपिeven

पाण्डवO Pāṇḍava

पाण्डुनन्दनO son of Pāṇḍu

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Pāṇḍava

Pāṇḍu

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents a pragmatic strand of rājadharma: when a ruler is strong and his troops are vigorous and well-supplied, he may pursue political advantage even if conventional conditions (like the proper campaigning season) are not ideal. It highlights the tension between opportunistic statecraft and the ethical restraint expected of kings.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a Pāṇḍava (son of Pāṇḍu) and articulates a principle of royal conduct: a king focused on his own ascendancy should march against an enemy when his strength and army’s morale are high, even if the timing is technically out of season for war.